Samuel t



(No Model.)

S. T. NEWMAN.

HAT STAY.

Patented July 16, 1889.

N. PETERS, Pmmmm m m. Washingtun. o. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SAMUEL T. NEIVMAN, OF DANBURY, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO EDMUND TVEEDY, OF SAME PLACE.

H AT S TAY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 407,109, dated July 16, 1889.

Application filed November 16, 1888- Serial No. 291,008. (No model.) I

To ctZZ whom it may concern.- dozens, although the principle is equally ap- Be it known that I, SAMUEL T. NEWMAN, a plicablein packing half-dozens or other quancitizen of the United States, residing at Dantities in the boxes. In order to overcome the bury, in the county of Fairfield and State of objections specified to the packing devices 5 Connecticut, have invented certain new and now in use, and to provide a device which useful Improvements in Hat-Stays; and I do will fully meet the requirements of the trade, hereby declare the following to beafull, clear, I have devised the novel hatstay, of which and exact description of the invention, such the following description, in connection with as will enable others skilled in the art to the accompanying drawings, is aspecification, IO which it appertains to make and use thesame. numbers being used to denote the several My invention has for its object to provide parts. a simple and inexpensive device for packing Figure l is a plan view of a hat-box with hats. The packing devices now most comthe cover removed, having within it one of monly in use are rings and stays made of my novel hat-stays with hats packed therein; I5 pasteboard. This style of packing is open to Fig. 2, a longitudinal section of the box, shownumerous objections, the most important of ing the stay and hats in side elevation, the which is that hats are often seriously injured hats being held against vertical displacement in transportation. The edges of the brims when the box is right end up, and also when chafe against the boxes, which wears the bindinverted, by means of elastic strips; and Fig. 2o ings, and the sharp edges of the stays mark 3 is an end elevation of the stay and hats rethe tops of the brims. The three most immoved from the box, the hats being held portant results which my present invention against vertical displacement in either the accomplishes are in preventing the hats from upright or the inverted position by means of injuring each other, in preventing chafing independent cords, each of which is tied, the 25 against the boxes, and in preventing injury independent cross-piece in this form being to the hats from the packing device itself. It dispensed with. is also of importance to avoid waste of room 1 denotes the base-piece, which is preferain the boxes, so that they may be made as bly made of wood, and is adapted to lie lonsmall as possible, and to avoid the use of gitudinally of thebox. The end pieces 2, also 30 metal, for the reason that the packing devices made of wood, are attached at the ends of are not used a second time, and when made the base-piece, and are adapted to stand verof metal they are utterly worthless, and in tically at the ends of the boxes, said end large establishments accumulate to such an pieces being preferably braced and held in extent as to be a serious inconvenience. My position by corner-blocks 8. 35 present packing device is preferably made 3 denotes a central cross-piece, also made entirely of wood and textile material, and of wood and attached in any suitable manner may therefore be readily disposed of as kindto the base-piece, which is adapted to lie ling-wood; and, furthermore, enables me to transversely of the box. dispense with the use of tissue-paper in pack- 5 denotes suspending-strips attached to the 0 o ing. I thus make an important saving of end pieces, by which the hats are suspended. time and labor in the operation of packing, in These strips embrace the hats, as is clearly addition to saving the cost of paper, which is shown in Fig. 3, and suspend them by ennot an unimportant item in large factories. gagement under the brims, the weight being The hats are by my present method packed supported in practice at the sides of the 5 45 before they are placed in the boxes, and the crown. It will be seen, therefore, that each stay-frames, with the hats therein, may be hat is suspended independently of the others. removed for inspection at any time, and then 4 denotes side strips, which are attached to replaced in the boxes without any unpacking the cross-piece, the upper ends being secured whatever. In practice a quarter-dozen is ortogether in use above the upper hat, as shown :00 5o dinarily packed in each box. I have therein Fig. 1.

fore illustrated stays adapted for quarter- 6 denotes independent strips, which inclose the end pieces and the side strips, as clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 3. One of these strips is placed between each pair of hats, and in practice is made tight enough to draw the side strips in between the brims of the hats. In Fig. 2 the independent strips are indicated as made elastic, ordinarily rubber bands of sufficient strength to close in the side strips are used. In Fig. 3 the independent strips are shown as cords, each cord being tied at one end, as is clearly shown.

7 denotes an independent cross-piece,which I preferably place over the upper hat, as in Figs. 1 and2. This cross-strip is preferably provided with notches 10 at its ends, which receive the side strips 4, the latter being secured in any suitable manner, either by tying or with a buckle, as shown in Fig. 1.

It will of course be understood that my invention is not limited to the exact details of construction shown and described, as it is obvious that they may be greatly varied without departing from the principles involvedas, for instance, the suspending-strips 5 may be made of wire instead of textile material, although, as stated above, I preferably avoid the use of metal in any portion of the stay. The base-pieces are made just long enough to pass into the box the longest way, the end pieces a trifle shorter than the height of the box, and the cross-pieces just long enough to pass into the box the shortest way. These parts constitute a frame-work which may be lifted into and out of the box freely, whether hats are packed therein or not.

Should it be desired to pack larger quantities than quarter-dozen s, the end pieces and side strips are simply made long enough to receive and hold the additional hats. In packing, the first hat is placed between the? lowest suspending-strips, which hold it close under the brim, said strips being placed just high enough upon the end pieces so that the crown of the hat will clear the base and cross piece. The second hat is placed between the next pair of suspending-strips, which are placed just high enough so that the crown of the second hat will pass within the crown of the lower hat, but will not come injuriously in contact therewith. The next hat is suspended an equal distance above the second one in the same manner, and so on, if more are packed. The independent strips 6 are then placed between the brims and act to hold the hats firmly in position. The side strips are left loose enough and the independent strips are drawn tight enough so that if the box is inverted in transportation the hats will be supported by the side strips. In'connection with this application attention is called to my pending application, Serial No. 291,007, filed of even date herewith.

Having thus described my invention, I claim- 1. A'hat-stay consisting of frame-work, substantially as described and shown, suspending-strips for holding the hats, side strips adapted to extend from the bottom over the tops of the hats, and independent strips for inclosing the side-strips between each pair of brims, whereby the hats maybe held securely in position.

2. A hat-stay consisting of frame-work, substantially as described and shown, suspending-strips for holding the hats, an independent cross-piece for use over the upper hat,

side strips extending from the bottom over' said cross-piece, wherethey may be secured, and independent strips for inclosing the side strips betweeneach pair of brims, whereby the hats may be secured in position:

3. A device for packing hats, consisting of a base-piece, end pieces, and a cross-piece secured to the base-piece, suspending-strips secured to the end pieces, whereby the hats may be supported, side strips secured to the cross-piece and connected over an independent cross-strip 3, and independent strips 6, for

.inclosing the end pieces and the side strips between each pair of brims, so that the hats may be held in place in any position in which thebox may be placed, the end strips and cross-pieces only coming in contact with the box.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

SAMUEL T. NEWMAN.

Witnesses:

A. M. WOOSTER, BERTHA E. LEE. 

